The Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators, Teachers, and Parents

By Harris M. Cooper

Homework is the cause of more friction between schools and home than any other aspect of education and becomes the prime battlefield when schools, families, and communities view one another as adversaries. This comprehensive fourth edition tackles all the tough questions: What’s the right amount of homework? What role should parents play in the homework process? What is the connection between homework and achievement?

This essential reference offers all stakeholdersadministrators, teachers, and parentsthe opportunity to end the battle and turn homework into a cooperative endeavor to promote student learning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carrel Books
• Release date: Feb 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781631440120

Book preview

Cover Page of Battle Over HomeworkHalf Title of Battle Over Homework

To Faye Norflus Cooper, for the wonderful

things she passed on to her grandchildren,

through me.

Title Page of Battle Over Homework

Copyright © 2007 by Corwin Press

First Carrel Books edition 2015

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Carrel Books, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Carrel Books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Carrel Books, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or [e-mail].

Carrel Books® is a registered trademark of Skyhorse

Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.carrelbooks.com.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file

ISBN: 978-1-63144-007-6

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63144-012-0

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Preface to the Third Edition

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Chapter 1: Finding the Common Ground

The American Public’s Attitudes Toward Homework

Are Students Doing More Homework Now?

A Definition of Homework

What Are Some Ways That Homework Assignments Differ From One Another?

The Effects of Homework

What Are the Suggested Positive Effects of Homework?

What Are the Suggested Negative Effects of Homework?

Factors Affecting the Utility of Homework

Chapter 2: Does Homework Work?

Studies That Purposively Vary Whether Homework Is Assigned

Does Being Assigned Homework Improve Achievement?

Does Being Assigned Homework Improve Achievement Compared With Doing In-School Supervised Study?

Homework in Studies Testing Numerous Possible Influences on Achievement

Does the Link Between Measured Time on Homework and Achievement Still Exist When Other Influences Are Also Examined?

Studies That Correlate Time on Homework and Achievement

Is There a Simple Correlation Between Homework and Achievement?

What Other Factors Influence the Link Between Homework and Achievement?

Does Homework Associate Differently With Different Measures of Achievement?

Is Homework Associated With Achievement More Strongly for Some Subject Areas Than Others?

Is Grade Level Associated With the Homework-Achievement Link?

Why Is Grade Level Important?

Does It Matter Who Reports on Homework, the Student or the Parent?

Is There an Optimum Amount of Homework?

Does Homework Affect Students’ Attitudes or Other Behaviors?

Should Children With Learning Disabilities Be Assigned Homework?

Summary

Chapter 3: The Homework Assignment

Assignment Characteristics

Does the Length or Frequency of Assignments Influence the Effectiveness of Homework?

Does the Timing of Homework Content Relative to Its Discussion in Class Relate to the Effectiveness of Assignments?

Should Hard and Easy Material Be Interspersed Throughout an Assignment?

Should Homework Be Compulsory or Voluntary? What About Giving Students Choices Regarding Assignment Content?

Should Teachers Individualize Assignments Within a Class?

Are Group Assignments Effective?

Should Teachers Employ Computer-Based Homework Assignments?

Initial Classroom Factors

Does It Help Students to Provide Them With Study Aids?

Teacher Feedback and Rewards

Are Comments and Grading Important to the Utility of Homework?

Does Providing Rewards Improve the Effectiveness of Homework?

Summary

Chapter 4: Home and Community Influences on Homework

Competitors for Student Time

How Do Afterschool Activities Relate to School Achievement?

Summary

The Home Environment

Parent Involvement

What Can Happen When Parents Become Involved in Homework?

Does Parent Involvement Cause Better Student Performance on Homework?

Does Parent Involvement in Homework Cause Better Student Achievement?

What Do Correlation Studies Say About Parent Involvement and Achievement?

Summary

Are There Different Types of Parent Involvement?

Are Some Types of Parent Involvement More Beneficial Than Others?

Does Grade Level Make a Difference in the Type of Parent Involvement?

Community Involvement in Homework

What Are Homework Hotlines, and How Do They Operate?

Do Homework Hotlines Help?

Are Afterschool Homework Programs Effective?

Chapter 5: Homework Policies for School Districts, Schools, and Classrooms

The Parent Teacher Association and the National Education Association

Kappa Delta Pi and Phi Delta Kappa

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

The U.S. Department of Education

A Survey of School District Homework Policies

Examples of Homework Policies

Examples of Policies Regarding Time on Homework

Examples of Policies Regarding Parent Involvement

Examples of Policies Regarding Student Responsibility

Policy Statements Based on the Present Review

What Issues Might Be Addressed in District Homework Policies?

What Issues Might Be Addressed in School Policies?

What Issues Might Be Addressed in Classroom Policies?

Chapter 6: Quick Tips for Teachers, Parents, and Students

Tips for Teachers

Tips for Parents

The Parent Teacher Association and the National Education Association

The U.S. Department of Education

Tips for Students

Conclusion

References

Index

Preface to the Third Edition

How much time should children spend doing homework? Should elementary school children do any homework at all? Do both high and low achievers benefit from homework? What role should parents play in the homework process?

Homework is a source of complaint and friction between home and school more often than any other teaching activity. Parents protest that assignments are too long or too short, too hard or too easy, and too ambiguous. Teachers complain about a lack of training, a lack of time to prepare effective assignments, and a lack of support from parents and administrators. Students gripe about the time homework takes from their leisure activities, if they understand its value at all.

These complaints are not surprising, considering that homework assignments are influenced by more factors than any other instructional strategy. Teachers can structure and monitor homework in many different ways. Student differences play a major role because homework allows students considerable leeway in whether, when, and how to complete assignments. The home influences the process by creating an atmosphere that fosters or inhibits study. Finally, the broader community plays a role by providing other leisure activities that compete for the student’s time.

This third edition of The Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators, Teachers, and Parents has been significantly revised from the second edition. The summaries of research that appear throughout the book are based on a new synthesis of the most recent studies of homework. The policy guidelines have been completely updated. But the book is still meant to be a resource not just for school administrators but for teachers and parents as well.

I have written this book to help everyone involved in the process make sound decisions about homework. My objective is to provide readers with the terms, definitions, and research evidence needed to hold conversations about homework in a constructive manner. Also, I hope to help readers set effective homework policies, rules, or guidelines, be they for a school district, a school, a classroom, or a family.

The book speaks to all the parties in the homework process—administrators, teachers, parents, and students. A key to ending the battle over homework is communication. It is critically important for all parties to know what others are doing and why. To help communication, much of the material in the book is presented in the frequently asked questions, or FAQ, format that has grown very familiar in recent years. I did this to make it easy for readers to find answers to the questions that concern them most.

Administrators can use this book not only to help develop policies but also to assist in explaining to teachers and parents the rationale behind the homework guidelines they set. Likewise, teachers can use the book to improve their classroom practices and to assist in justifying those practices to parents and students. Parents will find reasons why certain practices are followed by schools and teachers as well as some practical advice regarding how to help their children with homework. But most important, I hope the book is used by administrators, teachers, and parents together to make their discussions about homework a positive experience and to help resolve disagreements.

The book addresses homework issues at both the elementary and secondary levels. We shall see that the differences in the functions and results of homework at different grade levels are among homework’s most interesting and revealing characteristics.

The book is divided into six chapters. The first chapter contains (a) a general definition of homework; (b) the important distinctions in homework assignments; (c) a list of the possible effects of homework, both positive and negative; and (d) a model of the homework process. Also, I provide a historical framework for understanding the issues and debates about homework. The second chapter summarizes research on whether homework is generally effective, as well as whether it is more effective for some grade levels, subjects, and types of students than for others. This chapter also looks at research on how much homework is best for students at different grades. The third chapter examines studies of variations in homework assignments that can influence their effects on achievement. Particular attention is paid to the structure of assignments and the value of classroom follow-up, such as grading and feedback. The fourth chapter looks at how the community and family fit into the homework process. It offers parents some suggestions, based on research, about when and how to get involved in their students’ assignments. The fifth chapter, written with school administrators and teachers first in mind, reviews some of the policy recommendations offered by government agencies, education-related organizations, school districts, and schools. I integrate some of these recommendations into a set of homework policy guidelines—consistent with research findings—for school districts, schools, and classrooms.